


i don’t have to exist outside this place(cause we can give it time)

by doctorsimmonswilson



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, Post Season 6, Pre Season 7, Season/Series 07, We Had Time, season 7 spec, secret child ride or die, written post 7x01
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-29
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:28:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24431374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doctorsimmonswilson/pseuds/doctorsimmonswilson
Summary: Jemma Simmons and Leo Fitz are no strangers to that kind of life...the kind where good friends die in the line of duty, and where they live in constant fear of the literal end of the world. But this kind, with time- time together- that’s brand new.[“We had time.” Spec Fic]
Relationships: Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons
Comments: 2
Kudos: 48





	i don’t have to exist outside this place(cause we can give it time)

**Author's Note:**

> Full disclaimer I made up some sciencey jargon. Don’t go looking it up, it’s fiction baby.

“What? Enoch- no. What are you talking about?” Fitz’s face scrunches up in confusion. Jemma feels her stomach drop. 

“Your friends, they are dead,” Enoch tilts his head in the way only Enoch does, and Fitz grabs his chest. 

“But you- no. No!” Fitz slams his hand against the control panel on the wall. Jemma places a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“Fitz. We have to be quiet,” she reminds him. It had slipped his mind for a moment, the looming threat of chromicom armies surrounding them. “Enoch, they’re not all- it’s not possible. We saw May...but we need to get out of here and get to the temple. Do you think you could fly the Zepyhr?” Jemma goes into mission mode. Fitz looks at her with wonder. 

“No. We cannot go to the temple. Like I said, you will have to change the natural course of your lives forever.”

Fitz sighs, “Yes, you’ve said that. But what does it mean?” He grabs Jemma’s hand once again, needing her touch to ground him; to remind him that this is real, and to keep his mind from spinning out.

“Agents Melinda May, Daisy Johnson, Alphonso ‘Mack’ Mackenzie, Elena Rodriquez and Deke Shaw are dead. And you must accept that for now. Because we,” the head tilt again, “have work to do.” Jemma opens her mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. She just shuts her eyes, bringing a hand to her forehead instead.

She and Fitz look back up at Enoch, “What is it that we need to do, exactly?”

***

After escaping the chromicom-infiltrated base, FitzSimmons and Enoch land the Zephyr in an undisclosed location, Enoch being the only one who knows where they truly are. 

The two remaining agents watch as the the Zephyr opens, revealing what appears to be the umpeenth secret base they’ve inhabited in the last five years. They glance at each other, before following Enoch out of the Zephyr.

“Enoch, where are we?” Fitz questions. Jemma immediately takes notice of the fully equipped lab. To it’s left-

“Is that-?” Jemma trails off, walking over to the object. 

“Unknown, Agent Fitz,” Enoch says painfully characteristically, then turns to Jemma, “Don’t touch tha-“

Jemma smiles, whipping around to look at her husband, “This is a solar actuator, isn’t it?” Fitz hastily glares at Enoch, before giving his attention to his wife. He reaches the machine in front of her, and studies it. He bends over, curious.

“A solar actuator would depend on daylight, this,” Jemma bends down to Fitz’s level, studying it, “is powered on wavelengths. Remember that Micro-Mechanical Engineering class I took at the Academy? We studied solar actuators; of course they were brand new back then, but wavelength machines usually use lunar eclipse signals like the ocean or sound frequencies.”

“You are correct, bestie,” both Fitz and Simmons cringe at the nickname, “but it is only a model.”

“A model for what?” Simmons- mindlessly- has moved onto studying the medical supply on the lab bench across the room they entered into. 

“The machine you’re going to build. However, it may take longer than expected. We don’t have any monoliths.” Simmons and Fitz both turn to the chromicom with wide eyes. 

“Enoch...are you suggesting that we are going to create,” Fitz pauses to collect his thoughts, “time travel?” Jemma turns to Fitz, her face a mixture of confusion and shock. She slowly makes her way over to Fitz and Enoch once again.

“Yes. In order to save your friends, and the world. If my fellow chronicoms are looking to destroy S.H.I.E.L.D. They will start at the beginning.” Enoch wanders off to do who knows what, and the scientists are left shocked.

***

“You know what else is bloody ridiculous?” Fitz throws the wrench in his hand in anger, and Enoch jumps, “the fact that you want us to create bloody time travel! Do you know the implic-“ Fitz sighs, “maybe we should just accept the fact that our friends are gone. Jemma, please.” Fitz turns to his wife beside him, a pleading look on his face.

Jemma sighs, “Fitz, we can’t give up. We have to at least try. We have to. We have the chance to save Deke and Daisy and everyone else. We didn’t have that with Coulson, and I couldn’t save the version of you from the time loop. We- we can’t give up Fitz. Not before we’ve even started,” she cups his cheek, and Fitz looks down.

“Okay, but about Coulson: Enoch may have find away around that...” Jemma’s eyebrows stitch’s together.  
***

Jemma stares blankly at the white stick in front her. Then the blood work right next it. She can’t even begin to deny it to herself. She supposes that she could excuse she and Fitz’s carelessness as haste, but for the first time- they have time.

She swallows, shoving them both in the bathroom drawer. She doesn’t know how she’s going to tell Fitz. They’d already been working for three months. They were nowhere near close to completing the science behind time travel.

At this point, Jemma has been hoping for a little magic to come their way. She got something entirely different.  
***

“I will be here. In case you need me,” Enoch reminds them. Fitz nods and Simmons smiles closed lipped. 

“Ready, Doctor Fitz?” she grasps her husband’s hand in her own. Fitz squeezes their interlocked fingers, turning the dial. A whirlwind happens around them as the Zephyr takes off, zapping from one place to another. 

A moment later, the plane comes crashing down, ripping the seatbelts, throwing the agents aboard(Fitz, Simmons, Piper, Wilkes and D’Angelis) across the floor. The machine skids a final time, and Wilkes, their pilot, slams the button to open the cargo hold. Piper stands up groggily, holding her side.

“Are you alright?” Jemma asks her, checking her for visible injury; Piper nods. Fitz and D’Angelis have already made their way to the edge of the Zephyr. Fitz covers his eyes with his hand, blocking out the sun.

Jemma, Wilkes and Piper join them a moment later, and Fitz places a hand on Jemma’s back. 

“Are you okay, Jemma?” He looks at her worriedly. Jemma nods, placing a hand on her just barely swelling abdomen. 

“Well, it’s too bad, Toto. We’re still in Kansas. And we’re still in 2019,” Piper sighs. Wilkes throws down his comms device in defeat. 

Simmons turns to Fitz, and whispers, “You have to fail to succeed. First rule of experimental discovery, yeah?” Fitz just places his hand on top of hers across her stomach.  
***

“Fitz, can you pick him up please?” Jemma balances a laundry basket on her hip, and is writing something down with her opposite hand. The sound of their son shrieking is making her head hurt.

Fitz makes his way to the play crib, picking up the small baby, “Hi, sweetheart,” he coos. He bounces the baby on his chest, bringing him over to the kitchen, where Jemma has dropped the laundry bin, and has become engrossed in her note taking. 

“What’s mommy doing, James?” Fitz smiles down at the joy in his arms. His heart clenches with love and adoration. He looks up at the beautiful woman who carried the baby, and manuvers James so that he can tap Jemma’s shoulder.

Jemma nearly jumps, whipping around, “What, Leo?” she says it so bitingly. Fitz hates what this is doing to her. She’s taken on so much; pregnancy, inventing time travel, team doctor...Fitz wishes she doesn’t have to do it all.

“Hey, take a break, okay? Just sit without us for a mo’,” Fitz grins, “James likes his mummy best.” 

Jemma’s eyes fill with tears, “Do- do you think this is what our life was like in the time loop? Juggling inventing time travel and having a baby? Except we had a daughter. Who had Deke- oh,” she lets out a sob. 

Fitz carefull leads her to the couch, and hands her the baby when she sits. The he fetches her a glass of water. It reminds him they need to go to the grocery and get tea. He heats up a bottle for James too. 

The baby has seemingly calmed her stress and her post-partum hormones, when Fitz comes back. He hands her the glass, taking their son for the moment. She takes a sip, places the glass down, and reaches for the baby.

“Oh Fitz...” she strokes James’ tiny cheek, then looks back up at her husband, “We’ve lost so much time. We finally have some, and it’s all I worry about. The fact that it keeps getting taken from us. In every timeline, in every situation, we always lose each other.” Fitz leans against her, his hand cupping the back of James’ head. He feels his own eyes well up. It isn’t fair. 

“But we have time now, Jemma. We can’t mourn what we can’t change. I don’t care if we never solve time travel. I would do Academy level engineering if I meant I got just an extra second in life with the two of you,” Fitz says earnestly. 

Jemma looks happily at him, “I feel the same way. Although I do love alien biology,” she laughs. Fitz laughs too, and they’ll both swear later that their son smiled too.  
***

“Now or never right?” Jemma turns to Wilkes. 

“We just need to get Flint, right? Change nothing else?” Wilkes straps on his gloves.

Jemma nods, “He won’t be going back in time with us. Grab him at the very last second. He’ll be safe here in Kansas.” They’d taken to calling this base ‘Kansas’. Truthfully they had no idea where they were. It just not helped moral; they need it with a team of less than ten agents.

“Got it. And you look great, Agent slash Mama Simmons,” Agent Wilkes compliments. She supposes she does look rather fit after losing the baby weight. 

“Thanks, and good luck,” Jemma grins, waving off the younger agent. It hurts Jemma to think of how much he has lost in his three-year tenure at S.H.I.E.L.D. Without an academy, he went right into the field. He lost his boyfriend, another agent, in the line of duty.

Jemma turns back to Fitz, who’s mockingly showing James around the laboratory. She thinks that even with all their separation and trauma, at least they have each other. And now, a baby boy.

Not for the first time she wishes that he could know his Aunt Daisy. She would’ve- will- love him.  
*** 

“Agent Simmons, this is not easy for any of us-“

“It has been two and three months! I have a one-year-old!” Jemma shouts, “I pushed a human out of me a year ago, and we have failed six times just since then!” she fumes. “Don’t pretend that I don’t know what kind of toll this is taking. I think about it everyday- how my son is growing up, on a grimy base, his parents fraying at the edges, just like my daughter did!” 

The young agent recoils, unsure of what her SO is speaking about, “I’ll take it up with the freakin’ robot then,” and they’re gone in a huff.

Fitz comes strolling in, then upon seeing Jemma’s face, cups her cheek. 

“I’ll make dinner, yeah? And put James to bed,” he kisses her quickly.

“No, Fitz. It’s my turn. Besides, your arm-“

“It’s just a scratch,” he shrugs. Jemma rolls her eyes in anger. 

“It’s a hairline fracture, Leo. You shouldn’t even be holding the baby, let alone working on the jump drive. Clearly this is going to take the rest of our lives, so you should really-“

“Oh now I can’t hold my son? Or do my work? The work that you begged me to do? We could have settled down, Jemma. We didn’t have to solve bloody time travel,” Fitz kicks a screw on the floor angrily.

“Stop blaming me! You made that decision on your own. I didn’t force or trap you into anything. You could’ve left, if you so damn pleased,” Jemma huffs.

“No, you know damn well I couldn’t have! I was never going to leave you. And I know you didn’t trap me into anything, especially you and James. No one had to convince me of that. I love you, Jemma. Stop pretending you’re alone!”

“Stop pretending the world is on your shoulders!” She counters, then quieter, “And I love you too.”

He kisses her, then. They barely make it all the way to their bunk, before tearing off each other’s clothes and basking in their love. Jemma giggles, as Fitz reminds her that this time they have to be careful.  
***

A year later, they figure it out. It takes night and day, non-stop working and thinking. It runs Jemma, Fitz and the rest of the team ragged. They all grow weary by the end. 

“Okay, everyone. Today’s the day. Fitz, Enoch and I can’t thank you for all your help in any way that could measure up. You have all done, truly, amazing work. So thank you,” Jemma announces to the group of agents standing in front of her.

“Mummy!” James yells, reaching out of Fitz’s arms towards his mother at the sound of her voice. Everyone laughs, as Jemma rests the toddler on her hip. 

The agents staying behind give tearful hugs, especially Piper. She leaves them with, “Find our people, okay? And come back,” and a wink. 

Enoch turns to FitzSimmons and their son. 

“Will you be taking the boy with you?” He inquires. Jemma hoists James up to hold him on her front, and Fitz runs a hand through his son’s messy curls that match his own.

“He’ll be with my mum,” Fitz says, “it’s safer that way,” as he says it, his heart cracks. He loves his son more than anything in this world. He can’t imagine being away from him. Fitz knows Jemma feels the same way. But they have to do it for his safety.

“But you both can’t be going. My fellow chronicom have scanned both of your brains. If they capture the both of you- there is no telling what secrets they will be privy too.”

“Enoch-“

“No, you can’t ask us to separate from each other and our son. It’s not fair. We finally found each other. We can’t,” Jemma feels her pulse quicken. She looks at James, then Fitz. She kisses her son’s forehead. 

“I know the schematics best,” he offers. Jemma sighs, tearfully handing James to Fitz. 

“I’ll go. You stay, and find your mum. I’ll go and see Daisy and save everyone, yeah? Then one day the whole team- our whole family- will meet James. My parents too.”

Fitz gapes at his wife. She simply kisses him, hard and short, over the toddler’s head. Then she kisses James’ cheek. 

“Mummy loves you, darling. I’ll be home before you know it, okay?” The toddler unknowingly nods. Jemma looks Fitz in the eyes once more. 

“Come back to me,” he says, tears in his eyes. Jemma nods, following Enoch onto the Zephyr- their new time machine. She just hopes they’ve had enough time.

**Author's Note:**

> Before they reveal what *actually* happened, here is my canon-esque take on what happened during “We had time.”
> 
> If you saw 7x01...was that amazing? or was it amazing? 
> 
> tumblr: @angry-slytherin


End file.
